Dark Victory
by Applauze
Summary: Scarlett was a freshman in college when she meet Cody. At first, she wasn't falling for him, but he won her and they soon were in a steady relationship. Yet, when he violated her, everything comes crashing down. Can Scarlett prove her case and get justice or will Cody get away with a horrific crime? Incomplete/Complete- depending how the reader views it.


Justice has finally been served.

I still couldn't believe it. I never thought this day would come. After several months, I finally got the justice that not only I won, but for those who were also affected. I started crying as he looked at me with those familiar teal eyes. Those same eyes that so many of his victims saw. Those eyes that were soft when it all started, but now, reflected guilt and shame and even though he committed the crime, I could tell that he was ashamed of himself.

As they whisk him away in handcuffs, my heart dropped. I shouldn't feel this way, but I do. I feel sad that he's going to prison because of his desire for love. Desires that are of evil and overtook someone when it shouldn't have. He was not a bad person, but he fell in with the wrong crowd. He didn't deserve this, but none of us deserved what he did.

Quietly, I put on my coat and walk out of the courtroom. I was about to head toward the elevator when I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder. Turning my head, I notice that it's his lawyer, Emma, and she speaks a few simple words to me.

"I know this must be rough for you, Ms. Roulette, but my client wants to speak to you for a few minutes."

Her words are rather blunt and bitter. I want to say no, but I can't. This opportunity may be my last chance to talk to him. To have a final say before I close this chapter but I want to move on and talking to him may bring all of the pain back. All of the pain and agony he caused. I should feel happy that I'll never see him again but I don't. I almost feel like that talking to him is a need, a must for me. A chance for me to finally say goodbye, to finally get rid of him from my life. After standing there for a few moments, I feel the words coming to my lips.

I wanted to say no, but I ended up mumbling a small and quiet, "Yes."

"Very well. If you'll follow me, Ms. Roulette."

I followed right behind Emma. She walked very quickly and her heels are clicking down the hall like hammers being wedged into the ground. We turn down several mazes of corridors before we stop in this fine sitting room. "My client will be here momentary. You need anything?"

I shake my head in disagreement. "No, I'm fine, but thank you."

She left me alone and I quietly sit down in one of the leather chairs. I twisted with my hair a little and straightened my skirt on my suit. I had to, at least, look presentable in front of him. Besides, it's not like I'll ever see him again.

Yet, a part of me doesn't want him to go away. I know this is all of my doing, but I had to do the right thing even if it meant giving up the one man that actually loved me. Loved me for who I was. I want to cry, but I can't. I have to be strong, but I feel weak. God, I don't even know what to do.

* * *

 _I just finished my testimony in open court when I heard everyone gasp around me. I burst into tears and my sobs soon overtook me. I look all around and everyone looks angry and they feel my pain, my suffering. That's when the judge bangs her gavel._

 _"I think that's enough for today. The court will resume tomorrow with Ms. Roulette taking the stand for a third consecutive day. This session is adjourned."_

 _With another bang, the judge leaves the room. I get down from the stand and follow my lawyer out of the courtroom. All around me, the press is flashing camera and trying to get me to say something they could twist for the defense, but why should I say anything else? I've already spoken my mind quite enough._

 _I fell into that trap once before, never again._

 _After escaping the masses, I climb into my lawyer's car and we drive off. For a while, I don't speak anything. My mind is so focused on this trial and how I wish it was already over. I hate being stuck in that courtroom all day, listening to anyone without bathroom breaks or proper air conditioning._

 _It wasn't until my lawyer said something that I dozed back to reality. "Wait, what did you say Courtney?"_

 _"I said that you did well today," She replied._

 _I gave a small smile since it was rare to hear anything that highly from her._

 _"Are you okay, Scarlett?"_

 _"I'm fine Courtney," I replied while avoiding small talk. After today's events, all I wanted to do was to go home and relax before tomorrow. To have some silent before being stuck in the courtroom for another eight to twelve long hours. I even have a nickname for it. Hell._

 _Courtney noticed my silence and was a little bit concerned. "You've seemed to be quiet lately. A little bit too quiet for my own comfort."_

 _I apologized. "Forgive me. I just keep thinking about the trial and everything that's happened so far."_

 _"And I totally feel you, Scarlett. But we must take this matter one day at a time."_

 _"I know and we are so far from this nightmare being over. We still got Emma to deal with and she'll tear the whole case to shreds._

 _I stopped midway and sighed. "I know they will. All she wants is for him to escape his verdict and make people think that I'm a whore!"_

 _Courtney noted my frustration patted my shoulder. "We all know that you aren't one of those women, Scarlett. You were violated, but you are a survivor."_

 _"That doesn't even matter to Emma," I replied. "All she cares about is her client. You know his parents. They can buy the best lawyer their God damn money can buy!"_

 _My anger was so real that Courtney had to slam on the breaks, and we nearly flew out of the front window as a result. I apologized to Courtney, but I was so angry at that point that nothing could hold me back._

 _"Why does he have to have rich parents?!"_

 _"Scarlett, I-"_

 _"They'll buy off the judge and jury and a rapist will go free."_

 _"Scar-"_

 _"I can't let this happen. I won't let this happen."_

 _"SCARLETT! Listen!"_

 _I stopped dead when Courtney yelled at me before calmly resuming. "Scarlett, you know that often, the defensive will portray the accused as an innocent person who's wrongfully convicted, despite the evidence given."_

 _"And I agree with your statement, but why is it so important that it involves me?"_

 _"We just have to make the jury believe our side more. Emma will claim that you had consent sex with hi-"_

 _"Like hell is anyone going to believe that!"_

 _"I know, Scarlett. As I was saying, Emma will tell the jury that you had consent sex with him and that this whole thing is nothing more than a joke, but that's the reason why I've withheld all of the forensic evidence." Courtney commented while releasing a little smile. "Until now, I depended on witnesses and testimonies, but tomorrow is when I'll make my last stand on the case and present all of the forensic evidence at once. It will destroy her case."_

 _"And are you certain of this?" I asked._

 _"I am," She replied._

 _I acknowledged her triumph by remarking, "Well, I'll be damned. If this was a game of chess, you would have won the match already. You have made your movements very wisely and now, comes the checkmate."_

 _"I never heard a court case compared to a game of chess before," Courtney remarked._

 _"Well, now you have," I replied. "There's always a first for everything."_

 _"I suppose so."_

 _"You'll probably remember that analogy for ages to come."_

 _Courtney couldn't help but snicker and laugh at what I just said. "Oh trust me, Scarlett. I'll remember that for the rest of my career."_

 _"You make it sound like as if the most important case of your life has already occurred." I pointed out. I couldn't help but notice the sadness in her voice. She made it sound like that she was already reflecting on her life, not living it._

 _"If you want my honest opinion, Scarlett, I think so."_

 _"Why do you think so?" I asked._

 _Courtney shook her head and sighed. "They won't do me criminal cases because of my relationship with Duncan."_

 _"That ain't right. They can't do that."_

 _"They think that my relationship with a criminal can averse justice and cause criminals to roam the streets freely."_

 _"I know better than that, Courtney. I know that you wouldn't do such a thing like that."_

 _"Well, hey think that I'm capable of doing so. I'm surprised that I was allowed to be your attorney for this case. Emma tried her best to stop me."_

 _"And look where she is now. She's attorney. To add guilt to injury, not only is Noah her boyfriend, but he has connections to all of the people involved in this trial."_

 _"This is going to be dragged through the mud before we can get done with it, Scarlett."_

 _"I know Courtney. All we can do is hope and pray to God that he won't be called by Emma. He's refused to testify on our behalf and he may lie in order to protect both Emma and his best friend."_

 _"Well even if he does, I can have his testimony thrown out of court."_

 _"Can you really do that, Courtney?"_

 _"Oh, Scarlett. You have no idea how many connections I have that Emma doesn't. I WILL make sure that it won't happen. You have my word."_

 _We continued to talk fo a while that I didn't realize that we had arrived at home. Time had just flown away, like cuckoos that fly out from their nest._

 _Courtney stepped out of the car. We started walking toward the house. "Scarlett, why haven't you said his name once? You can him well, him."_

 _I looked Courtney through my glasses and had the most uncertain thrown on my face. "Honestly, saying his name leaves a bad taste in my mouth. His name is so disgusting that I don't want, to say it."_

 _"Well, I can't change your mind. If you call him just an adjective then I can't stop you."_

 _"At least, you tried Courtney." I pointed out while unlocking the door._ _"How would you like a cup of coffee?" I asked._

 _"Sure. I need one after the type of day we both we through today." Courtney replied while we both broke out laughing and headed toward the kitchen._

* * *

I heard the door open and embraced myself. He walked in with handcuffs on his hands and feet. He was wearing a jailer's outfit, something that I never expected him to wear. He was shoved, rather violently, into a chair. Emma and the few people that came with him, went behind a glass case, in case something happened. Of course, I didn't enjoy the lack of privacy, but they had to make sure that he wouldn't attempt to kill me.

For a few moments, we sat in silence, awkwardly trying to not look at each other. But when our eyes meet, it was impossible to detain us.

"Cody.."

"Scarlett.."

"You look rather nice today."

"I wish I could say the same about you."

Cody couldn't help but laugh at my comment. "You always dress professionally, Scarlett. You always impress anyone, no matter what kind of suit, dress, skirt or blouse you're wearing."

I couldn't believe that he was attempting to be flirtatious after he was convicted of a crime. Typical him. Always the flirtatious one and never knowing where to draw the line. "Can we not drag my choice of clothing into this?" I asked while snorting a laugh.

"Of course."

"Scarlett, I never wanted this to happen. Trust me, if I known this would've happened, I would have rethought everything."

"I don't believe you." I hissed.

"I wouldn't blame you if you didn't believe me. I know I did something wrong, something illegal, and I am so sorry about that." He shrugged while adjusting himself in the chair to be more comfortable.

"You're not sorry. You never was sorry for what you did."

"I am Scarlett. I am sorry about the rape, really I am."

"How can I believe you when all you've done is lied to me? You'll face your true punishment when Judgement Day comes."

"Don't you understand? I'm trying to explain that I went too far and all you're doing is-"

"Why do you have to make it all about yourself? What about me? What about the other girls you and your so called 'friends' assaulted also? You all took away the one thing that mattered the most to us...

I started crying as I looked into Cody's eyes. Those same teal eyes that drew me to him and were the same eyes that raped me. With a shaky breath, I push out the words that would never come, "… our purity."

I buried my head in my hands and started crying again. I've cried so much that I'm sick of crying, but I can't stop crying. All of the recent events have all but destroyed what world I knew. I'm often sleepless, dreaming that I'm in the valley of death.

Cody hung his head low and started crying with me. He knew that he was guilty also and it finally tore at his heartstrings. "Oh Scarlett, I loved you so much, loved you more than anything. I wanted us to be together, but I was blackmailed into raping you, and I had no choice but t-"

"No choice? NO CHOICE?!" I screamed at him. "Why didn't you didn't stop and think about reporting this to the administration? You could've stopped this if you had only thought it out instead of having your head all the way up your ass!"

"I didn't know what to do! I was afraid for my life. I was desperate."

"Desperate? YOU call THAT desperate?! You couldn't even respect my wish of waiting until marriage so you took a shot and did your dirty deed at the first chance you got."

When he didn't answer, I sat back in my chair and looked up at the clock. About twelve minutes had passed and I was feeling rather hot. I took a handkerchief from my front pocket and wiped my face with it. I sat back in the chair and crossed my legs in a professional matter. Cody noticed this and he couldn't resist letting one slip by.

"You know, crossing your legs was how we meet actually."

"Do you want me to hit you right now?" I asked him while clutching my hands into a fist.

He flinched at my comment before quickly replying, "No."

"Good. Now we both have a general understanding of each, don't we?"

Cody nodded in agreement and I sat back. For a while, we didn't say anything. We just sat there, looking at each other and breathing.

After a while, Cody swallowed a big lump in his throat. "Scarlett, I have to ask, but will you see me in prison?"

That was the curveball I never from me. "Why would he ask? He knows what I'm going to do." I thought to myself.

I looked back at him and firmly said,

"No."

The color on his face left him and he started crying/getting angry. "Why won't you come and see me?" He asked through his sobs.

"Because Cody, I have to move on with my life and I can't forgive you. You took something away that meant something to me. The one true pure thing I had is gone forever, all thanks to you."

"I've apologized a thousand times."

"Apologizing and saying sorry won't cut it, Cody."

"But don't you love me, Scarlett?"

"I did love you, but you committed a crime so you must serve the time."

"Scarlett-"

"I want to close this chapter on my life once and for all and seeing you will never allow me the chance to fully heal. I loved you and even wanted to marry you, but your rape act killed my chances of finding happiness in this world. Now I want to move on from this and try to rebuild the life I formally had, piece by piece. I gave you my heart and you used me! No one uses Scarlett Roulette and get's away with it!"

I cried again. I should've been a strong woman, but I wasn't strong. I was weak. I knew that now was the time to close the door on this, once and for all before I lost it. Before what remained, all came tumbling down on me.

I stood up and started walking. "Goodbye, Cody."

"Scarlett, wait! I-"

"Cody, I said goodbye to you. Please respect that."

"You can't do this to me! You just can't!" He replied.

"I can and that's what I'm doing now." I said while taking a deep breath and looked straight into his eyes. "Goodbye, Cody."

I heard him scream my name as I walked out of the room. I could hear Emma and then run out and try to calm him down. I was a bit shook up as I made it to the steps, where Courtney was waiting for me. "Are you done with him now?" She asked.

"I am Courtney. I'm ready to go."

With that in mind, she escorted me down the steps as the press and news reporters sworn around me. I didn't answer any questions since what was there to say? They heard both sides of the story and the people decided that he was guilty. There was nothing else to say.

While Courtney was escorting me to my car, all I could think about was how this was a dark victory for me. Justice had been done and the law abided, but at the cost of my virginity, my heart, and my love. So many things were taken away from me by a now convicted rapist. It's a victory within the dark and hopefully, the light will return one day.

I can now go home and be able to sleep knowing that the nightmare will be over. I'll have to take it one day at a time and reconstruct my life, piece by piece. I'm a survivor of many things, and I can be brave while facing my unknown future. I'm just a survivor.

I'm a survivor of a rape crime, and this is my story.

* * *

 **So here I am with a new story. The idea for this dark and unusual Scarlody came to me while I was listening to "Til It Happens to You" from Lady Gaga. The song just stuck out in my mind and I had plans for this to be a oneshot, but I rewrote the idea and I've decided to make this into a short story with an introduction, four to five chapters and a conclusion. Not too much, right?**

 **This won't mean that all of my stories will be updated soon. I'm still taking a major break from writing and trying to recharge my batteries, but I do have some good news for my fans. There WILL be more updates this year and expect two stories to be done also. I've been doing a lot of planning on this and I can't say when I'll be going back to work, but I will give a hint that it'll be sometime in the spring.**

 **I'm also happy to announce that a new oneshot collection is also coming in the spring. I won't be revealing much, but I will drop a hint that it has to relate to jazz.**

 **On a final note, I don't want anyone to bash this since someone once told me that "it's the stories that touch you the most and are the ones that mean something to you when you're writing." I appreciate constructive criticism and advice, but if you are wanting a bashing playground, you might as well forget about that.**

 **It feels good getting that out of my chest. And I want to give a shoutout to my two best friends that gave me the courage and the confidence to write this. Thank you for everything, Joanne, and Daniel. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. c:=3**

 **Until next time! Please read, review, favor, alert and spread the word.**


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